


Status: In a Serious Romantic Relationship

by VickyCarter



Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: Canon Divergence - Set in the 21st Century, Defrosting Ice King, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, Maskless Amazons (Saint Seiya), Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-14 21:42:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14145189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VickyCarter/pseuds/VickyCarter
Summary: Camus and Shaina have been dating in secret for months, and are about to take the first steps into going public with their relationship. But in an attempt to make a nice surprise for his girlfriend, Camus goes a little too far. Or so he fears as he waits nervously for Shaina's reaction.





	Status: In a Serious Romantic Relationship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pessi_mista](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pessi_mista/gifts).



With somewhat shaking hands, Camus grabbed the mouse connected to his desktop and pointed it at the sentence "Update relationship status" on the screen. He took in a deep breath and clicked on it. 

A new window popped into view, giving him a list of options to choose from. His hands shook a little more as he clicked on "In a serious romantic relationship". Right below the sentence, a blank field opened up, topped by the question "With whom?". Although he felt his mouth dry, Camus steadied his hands this time as he typed his girlfriend's name: Shaina. The autocomplete function kicked in, and he just had to click on "Ophiuchus Shaina" to had her name officially and publicly attached to his profile at AthenaLink, the Sanctuary's social network. 

At first, when Camus looked at his newly updated profile page, he shifted uncomfortably in his cushioned chair and tugged at his bath robe. But soon he stopped moving, just staring unbelievingly at the screen for the next several minutes, feeling somehow disconnected from reality, from himself, and from all that he had preached and believed in for so many years. He had really done it. He let the entire Sanctuary know that he was capable of experiencing common human emotions after all. 

Skidding his chair back across the ceramic floor, Camus got up abruptly, turning his back at the computer desk and walking up and down his bedroom. How he wished Shaina was there with him, holding his hand, reassuring him with her firm voice, telling him that he was silly to be so nervous over such trivialities, maybe even chuckling at him. Then again, if she was there, his action wouldn't have been the surprise he meant it to be. 

Although they'd been discussing for more than a week now the best ways to go public about their four-month relationship, Shaina had insisted that there was no hurry. And that she understood that this could be hard for Camus. And that she was willing to wait until he felt comfortable enough to present to the world his emotional side, the one he'd been hiding so carefully until she uncerimoniously broke through the invisible walls he'd built around himself. However, despite his gratitude for her being so understanding, Camus wouldn't take advantage of her good will. He wanted to be fair to her. 

In the end, they had decided that Shaina would be coming over for dinner at the Aquarius Temple. Since Camus was known to rarely receive visits during the day and never welcome any guests in the evenings, that event should gently signal to whoever heard of it that there might be something going on between them, and they'd take it from there. On his own though, Camus had made the additional decision to be much clearer about their situation. As scared as he was to bring meaningful changes into his life, he wanted all to know that he wasn't the same anymore, because now he belonged to Shaina. And the second quickest, most effective way to divulge that was to update his AthenaLink profile. The number one quickest way would have been to just tell someone about it in person and allow them to share the news freely. The Sanctuary's inhabitants loved their gossip, and not even the Internet could compete with them in terms of speed and competency at spreading information. 

Running his hands through his still wet hair, Camus walked up to the window next to his single bed and drew the curtains open. He tried to focus his attention on the blue sky and the warmth of the sun rays on his face. But his thoughts quickly travelled back to what he had done. 

He had picked the time of the day for that update very carefully: after coming back home from his training session, not too long before lunch time. That way, he'd soon have to leave his bedroom and head to the kitchen to cook his meal, which would prevent him from staying glued on the chair in front of the computer desk waiting anxiously for Shaina's reaction. Or so he had hoped. 

In practice, the little plan hadn't gone as expected, and Camus only had himself to blame. He'd made his way back from the training arena at a much slower pace than usual, and then stayed under his bathroom's shower for longer than was his habit. Both changes in behavior had been the result of his dreading what he was about to do. Yet, he'd somehow pushed himself and done what he'd set out to. But now he was at least half an hour late to start cooking, and still he didn't feel any hunger, nor did he think he'd be leaving for the kitchen any time soon. All he wanted to do was wait for some sign that Shaina had seen his update. At the same time, he feared looking back at the screen and finding out that she disapproved his action. 

Whatever Shaina would think, it shouldn't take Camus too long to learn about it. While he only visited AthenaLink a few times a week, his girlfriend was enthusiastic about the site and would usually visit it three times a day, sometimes more. On the other hand, she could go a full day without logging in if she was busy enough. But Camus was cautiously confident that she would see his update before dinner. From what she'd told him over lunch the day before, which was the last time they'd seen each other, she wouldn't be doing anything out of the ordinary for her. So, she should be able to spare a few minutes to browse AthenaLink in between her morning and afternoon training sessions, her scheduled lunch with other Silver Saints, and whatever else she might want or need to do. Unless someone tried to invade the Sanctuary, or the Pope assigned her a last-minute mission, or she got seriously hurt during her exercises and combat simulations, or... 

Camus closed his eyes and tried to push those thoughts away, especially the ones involving risks to her well-being. _Athena shall protect her_ , he thought, grabbing the curtain to his right and crushing a part of the fabric in his hand. _And Shaina is very strong and smart. I shouldn't waste my time with such silly fears._

Feeling better now, Camus spun around and walked back to the desk. As soon as he looked at the computer screen, his heart thumped in his chest. A shining green exclamation at the top row of the page he'd left open indicated that there were notifications waiting for him. The number five appeared in a tiny square below the icon. Could any of those notifications have come from Shaina? 

He slowly sat back on his chair, suddenly feeling as if the oxygen had been sucked out of his bedroom. His hand shook again while he pointed his mouse at the green exclamation icon and clicked on it. Few seconds went by before the new page loaded, but for Camus it felt like an eternity. 

A disappointed "Oh" escaped his lips when he realized that none of the five items on the page had anything to do with Shaina. His relationship status update had just gotten four purple stars, the symbols used at AthenaLink to represent positive reactions. They'd come from Aldebaran, Crystal, Milo and Mu. The fifth notification was about a comment left by Hyoga. 

Camus always cringed a little when he read the username Hyoga had adopted on the site. This time though the usual second-hand embarrassment was counterbalanced by his interest in the actual comment: 

**Hyoga ~Mama I Love You~ -** _This is a big surprise. Some recent developments suddenly make a lot more sense to me. Anyway, I'm happy for you._

What Hyoga had alluded to was the brief exchange they'd had by email the previous weekend. Camus had sent him a concise letter saying that he'd reevaluated his beliefs about how Saints should handle their feelings, and apologizing for having opposed Hyoga's emotional attachment to his late mother. 

Hyoga's first reply had expressed more shock than anything else. A second reply followed a couple of hours later, and this time Hyoga said he was glad Camus had changed his mind on those topics. Neither of the emails included any questions on what might have caused said change of mind. 

_But now he has the answer,_ Camus thought. Knowing that Shaina and he were about to go public with their relationship, he hadn't wanted to seem a hypocrite in Hyoga's eyes. Hence the email sent a few days in advance of the week's big revelation. All Camus could hope for now was that Hyoga wouldn't lose respect for him. _Well, he doesn't really need me for a role model anyway. Crystal is much better at that, and Hyoga will always look up to him. Rightly so._

A small window popped onto the right bottom corner of the screen. One new notification from Shura. Camus's shoulders tensed. He was pretty sure he knew what he was going to find as soon as he reloaded the page. 

Just like Hyoga, Shura hadn't starred Camus's update, leaving a comment instead: 

**Shura, Eternally Devoted to ATHENA -** _To say this is a disappointment would be an understatement. In an era when so many Saints seem unable to fully commit to our duties toward our goddess because they prioritize their personal lives instead, I used to think of you as one of the honorable exceptions the Sanctuary could count on. Well, I guess those of us who truly put Athena above all else will have to make do with one less ally. What a shame._

At least Camus could find some solace in the fact that Shura's comment had been exactly as expected, not worse. He wouldn't be tempting his luck though. Before another notification arrived, and with it the potential for more scolding, Camus closed the browser and got up from his chair, determined to change clothes and finally head to the kitchen to cook his belated lunch. By keeping himself busy, he might be able to control his anxiety over getting a response from Shaina. 

An hour later, as Camus washed the dishes, he had to admit that getting busy just hadn't worked this time. As he cooked for himself, he couldn't stop thinking ahead to later that afternoon, when he'd be cooking dinner for two. And as he ate his lunch, he felt as if he was just munching an indistinct flavorless mass, because his mind wouldn't stay in the present. It insisted in travelling back to the many meals that he'd been sharing with Shaina for the last months and in antecipating the future. 

_I suppose I should be glad that I finished all I had to do here without breaking a single dish,_ he thought as he dried his hands with a towel. Then he took off his apron, hung it, smoothed his shirt and trousers and ran back to his bedroom. 

Once there, Camus sat back, restarted his browser and found out that several new notifications awaited him. Again, none from Shaina. There was one from her best friend though: 

**Geist the Illusionist -** _So, there's the reason why Shaina's been so mysterious lately. I knew there had to be a man involved. I just didn't think it would be you of all people. My friend's always had terrible taste in men, but this is a new low._

Of course, Geist's comment had been starred by her minions Sea Serpent, Crag and Dolphin. The latter also posted a reply to it: 

**The Almighty Dolphin King -** _I understand your concerns, but remember, nothing lasts forever. Shaina eventually moved on and forgot Algol, Dante, Seiya, that Asgardian guy with daddy issues, and Mr. Whisky Lover. This too shall pass!_

In hopes of finding less discouraging messages on his notification list, Camus quickly scrolled the page down. A string of comments came into view: 

**Gemini (formerly Sea Dragon) Kanon -** _LOL! Just... LOL!_

**Magnificent Misty -** _Let's see if Shaina can make you a little less insufferable. Though it's unfair to put such a burden on her shoulders, now that I think about it._

**Auriga Capella -** _Poor Shaina!..._

**Aphrodite: Glorious and Victorious -** _How do you say "hypocrite" in French?_

As much as those comments stung, none of them surprised Camus. Over the years since his arrival to the Sanctuary, he'd gained a reputation as a distant, arrogant, unfriendly and judgemental man. In fact, he'd actively worked to cultivate that public persona. Even his very few friends probably had reasons to speak ill of him. His habit of lecturing his peers about the need to control what he disparagingly labeled as their "cheap emotions" guaranteed him a spot among the least popular Athena followers. And now that he'd finally admitted to having emotions of his own, it was only natural that people would take advantage of the situation to get back at him. 

On the other hand, Camus couldn't help but marvel at the fact that he hadn't ruined things with Shaina. Only once had he attempted to lecture her on how to handle her feelings, and that was long before they got together. Hadn't it been for Shaina promptly shutting him up and not giving him a chance to insist on the topic, he might have killed his chances with her. And he wouldn't even have realized what he'd have missed, because neither of them was interested in the other at the time. 

Just two notifications remained unread. One of them was about a new purple star left on Camus's update by Aiolia. The other was a lengthy comment: 

**Aiolia | Sanctuary Weekly -** _Congratulations! I'm happy for both of you! To celebrate this special occasion, I'd love to run a couple profile about you and Shaina for Sanctuary Weekly. What do you think? You don't have to answer now. No hurry, no pressure! But while I wait for your answer, here are some preliminary questions:_

_1\. How did things begin between you?_  
_2\. When did it happen?_  
_3\. How did you hide your relationship so well until now?_  
_4\. What do you typically enjoy doing together?_  
_5\. What do you like the most about each other?_  
_6\. How does it feel like to be in love?_

_That's it for now. Congratulations again!_

Camus shuddered. _Sanctuary Weekly_ , the general-interest magazine Athena had launched a couple of years before, had in Aiolia one of its most enthusiastic staff members. Since the beginning of the project, the man would wander around the Sanctuary shooting questions and interview requests at whoever was unfortunate enough to be near him. Then again, not everyone regarded that as a nuisance. The couple profiles mentioned in Aiolia's comment were one of the most popular features of the magazine, and many would gladly agree to be followed for a week as they gave successive interviews and posed for dozens of photos. In the most recent issue, Kanon and Mermaid Thetis had been featured. Thinking back to the intimate details they'd unabashedly shared in their interview, Camus squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. And that hadn't even been the worst he'd seen in the magazine. 

Not that he had anything against that project. _Sanctuary Weekly_ also published plenty of good reading material, like articles on art and history, travelogues, interviews with little-known deities, poetry and short stories. Camus himself had contributed two book reviews to the magazine, with a third one on its way. He was just horrified at the idea of opening up about his private life and deepest feelings, even though Aiolia's questions seemed remarkably tame in comparison to the content Camus had found in some of those infamous couple profiles. 

_And at least this time he numbered the questions. That should count as an improvement too,_ Camus thought as he remembered the chaotic first time Aiolia had interviewed him. For every answer he gave, his colleague would bombard him with two or three newly improvised questions and additional commentary that just made the whole experience exasperating.

With or without improvements though, Camus wouldn't be giving any interviews about his relationship. That is, unless Shaina made him. He desperately hoped she wouldn't. The idea of revealing any part of his true self made him want to run screaming for the hills, although such an act would be pretty revealing in itself. 

Camus was the type who resisted opening up to his friends, and the few times he'd done that had been promptly followed by regrets and periods of withdrawal. He also resisted opening up to his own diary. In fact, if his journaling program was a human being, it would claim that it didn't really know Camus any better than anybody else in the world. The entries he wrote in it consisted mostly of matter-of-fact summaries of his daily activities. He also used the program as a repository of to-do lists and book reviews. His logs were so impersonal, Camus wouldn't be worried if somebody else read them. He didn't hide any secrets in his diary because that was a somewhat effective way to pretend that he could hide his emotions from himself.

From Shaina though he couldn't really hide much. She just knew how to put him at ease. While that still remained a very stiff and awkward kind of ease on Camus's part, he couldn't deny Shaina's remarkable abilities at dismantling his emotional barriers. And if on the one hand he was afraid of finding out where Shaina would lead him, on the other hand he felt compelled to follow and trust her. 

_But does she still want me to follow her around?_ Camus wondered as he looked at the screen, hoping in vain for some sign that she'd seen what he'd done. By that time of the day, she should have logged into AthenaLink at least once. Camus didn't have a smartphone, but she did. So, she didn't have to be home to check the site. He knew for a fact that she didn't allow push notifications on her phone. In theory, that might mean she had no idea about his update. Then again, news spread so fast in the Sanctuary. Surely somebody had told her about it by now. If Shaina still wouldn't react at all, then maybe she was mad at him? Disappointed? Maybe she deemed him pathetic or desperate? What if she'd realized she deserved somebody better and was getting ready to break up with him? 

Taking in a few deep breaths, Camus tried to regain control over his fears. _Maybe this is just one of those days when she won't log in. Unfortunate timing on my part, because I really wanted her to see my update, but nothing to lose sleep over._

That still didn't explain why she wouldn't have heard about the news when the Sanctuary was crowded with gossips, many of whom had certainly logged into AthenaLink that day. At the very least, Geist would have talked with her. Actually, Shaina would be training with her friend for a couple of hours that afternoon, as she'd told him the previous day. 

Camus got up abruptly. Determined to push those disturbing thoughts aside, he stepped away from the computer desk, picking up a tome from the bookshelf that stood by its side and then heading to the armchair next to the window. Only after sitting on it he realized that he'd forgotten to close the browser, but he didn't care. He just opened the book and tried to force himself to focus on it.

Books had always been his best friends, although he'd been dedicating less and less time to them. During his first years living in the Sanctuary, Camus would do his training in the morning and then hurry back home to spend as many of the subsequent hours reading as he could. The first change to that routine had come shortly after Athena's victory over Hades, three years ago. The goddess had set out to reform several ancient laws. The Amazons, for example, had been liberated from wearing masks. And the Gold Saints had been granted permission to leave the Sanctuary for personal reasons instead of just when in duty. 

Thanks to that newly gained freedom, Camus soon would develop different habits. He'd still exercise in the morning, the one thing about his routine he avoided changing. But before lunch he'd put on civilian garments and leave for day trips to civilian cities, from where he'd only return in the evening, usually after having watched a play or attended a concert. Most of the time, he'd travel on foot, taking advantage of the super human speeds that a Saint could achieve to get to wherever he wanted as fast as possible. Sometimes though, he'd slow down on purpose and make use of public transportation. At any rate, he'd always carry a book with himself, devouring pages as he waited in queues, or travelled by bus, or sat on park benches. His reading suffered a little then, but he'd still find enough time pockets here and there to finish one or two books a week. 

Since he started dating Shaina though, he'd been averaging a book every ten days. The old Camus would have called that a tragedy. The new Camus felt somewhat embarrassed and guilty, but he was also so happy that he could go out with Shaina nearly every day. 

He still loved books. In fact, Shaina did too, and their shared literary tastes had been a point of attraction between them. She just woulddn't spend as much time reading as he used to because she'd always been highly sociable, whereas he'd been the type who sought solitude even amidst crowds. She'd been gradually making him change though. Now, maybe with some effort Camus would be able to bring his book finishing average down to nine or eight days, but he wouldn't sacrifice any dates to reach that goal. 

Still, right now Camus really needed to focus on the book he held in his hands if he was to distract himself from his anxiety. He stared at the words on the pages, hoping to fix his attention on them. However, the Cyrillic script danced and blurred in front of his eyes, forming a meaningless cloud of diluted symbols. _Clearly, I shouldn't have picked a book in Russian. It's too easy. I need something more challenging._

His intention as he closed the book and got up was to choose something else from his shelves. Some book in Finnish or Japanese. Definitely not in Italian, because although he was eager to become fluent in the language, he wanted to avoid thinking of Shaina for the time being. 

The little plan didn't work though. As soon as Camus put the book back on its place, he gave in to temptation and returned to the desk. If only the bookshelf wasn't so close to it, maybe he'd have resisted. That's what he said to himself anyway. 

Once again, the new notifications awaiting him hadn't come from Shaina. But the first one wasn't unexpected to him, because poor Aiolos would often go around apologizing for Aiolia's behavior, be it in person or online: 

**Sagittarius Aiolos -** _I think you two definitely complement each other, going by your and Shaina's personalities. I'm sure you'll be very happy together, and I wish you all the best!_

_(Please, forgive my brother. You know, sometimes it's hard for him to control his excitement over his job as a journalist.)_

If Camus had seen that comment coming, the next one on the other hand took him completely by surprise. He gaped at the screen, unable to believe what his eyes were seeing: 

**~*~ Athena ~*~ -** _Congratulations, Camus! You and Shaina deserve to be happy, and if you can do it together, then all the better. Lots of joy for your relationship!_

Camus's cheeks burned. Athena had seen his update. And she'd even taken the time to leave a star and a comment on it. His goddess. The only person he cared more for than Shaina, although in a very different way. 

Now more than ever Camus needed something to distract himself. He wanted to retain the exhilaration of having gotten a positive reaction from Athena for as long as he could. That heartwarming sensation would soon dissipate if he received a negative comment, or if he just watched the minutes go by without getting any news from Shaina. What could he do to keep his mind reasonably busy? 

The only idea that occurred to him was ridiculous. Still, it might be worth a try.

He started his journaling program. Usully he'd only write a new entry at the end of the day, but he was going to break that rule. More importantly, he'd also be breaking his rule about not recording anything too personal in his diary. Up until now, even his dates with Shaina would be recorded in a matter-of-fact manner. He wouldn't mention his feelings for her and the joy she brought into his life. But that was going to change now. She deserved much better than having a boyfriend who was ashamed of admitting his emotions to a piece of software. 

Luckily, somebody else had given him the tools he needed to modify his journaling practices for the first time. He just had to do some copying and pasting. _I'm sorry, Aiolia, but I won't be showing my answers to you. Only to my diary._

After spending a couple of minutes trying to come up with a suitable introduction to the entry, Camus decided that it was silly not to jump straight to the questionnaire. That was a private thing, not an article meant for publication. So, he just titled the entry "About my relationship with Shaina" and went ahead: 

1\. How did things begin between you? 

_During our joint seven-week mission earlier this year, every day we had to travel to Volos to conduct our investigations. We'd spend ten hours a day together, sometimes more. In all that time, there was only one unfortunate moment, and of course it was my fault._

_On day five, we almost lost sight of a suspect we'd been following because Shaina stopped a car from running over a stray dog. Deep inside, I was glad that she'd saved the poor animal, but that didn't hinder me from lecturing her about how a real Saint was supposed to keep focused on her mission instead of taking detours motivated by cheap emotions. She quickly cut me off by calling me "Mr. Expensive Emotions," and proceeded to addressing me by that nickname for the rest of the day, effectively embarrassing me into silence. Luckily, I learned my lesson and never did anything that could annoy her again, and she didn't hold any grudges against me._

_Except for that one incident, there were no problems between us. And when you spend so much time working closely with the same person, it's hard to stay indifferent. You'll either learn to loath or appreciate their company, and with us it was the latter. Together, over the course of our mission we visited countless buildings, streets, shops, parks, restaurants, cafes and warehouses. In the meantime between collecting clues and tracking down suspects, we would talk with each other, and soon we discovered shared tastes in books, food, music, travelling and so much more._

_I also discovered that my initial resistance to talking even about superficial things had evaporated without my realizing it. All of a sudden, it dawned on me that I felt surprisingly comfortable talking and listening to Shaina, something nobody else had ever come close to making me feel. I used to think that emotions could be vivisected, analyzed and explained under strictly rational parameters. But then Shaina happened. I don't know how she's won my trust so easily. I've made multiple attempts at rationalizing my feelings for her, but I've failed every single time. With her, there's always this sensation that part of me is lost in the middle of a thick fog. Still, there's another part of me that just holds her hand when she reaches out to me and trusts her to lead me out of the haze._

2\. When did it happen? 

_Our mission started around six months ago, and that's when we got to know each other better, as prior to that we were no more than superficial acquaintances. Our actual relationship officially started four months and a week ago._

3\. How did you hide your relationship so well until now? 

_Our habits helped. We both often spend our free time outside the Sanctuary, and we kept doing just that. For Shaina it was slightly more complicated, because she has several friends who were used to going out with her regularly. But she'd also go out on her own sometimes, and she told her friends she'd be doing more of that because she wanted more time alone. They didn't believe her completely, but they respected her wishes, and that's why none of them found out about our relationship._

_Shaina and I meet outside the Sanctuary three or four times a week. The other days, she spends in the company of her friends, or alone in rarer cases, whereas I stay home with my books. I no longer feel the desire to go out on my own, because I find myself missing her all the time. So, I've been spending a few more weekdays home than usual. Still, this subtle change to my routine didn't draw anybody's attention. Being extremely unpopular, having only very few friends and not allowing them to meddle into my life has proved quite convenient._

4\. What do you typically enjoy doing together? 

_Listening and talking to each other, shopping at bookstores, strolling along beaches and public gardens and parks, hiking in the woods, going to museums and galleries, and to the theater and movies, and to rock and jazz concerts, visiting art and craft fairs, and eating._

_Especially eating, I think. While I had four favorite restaurants that I'd go to alternately, Shaina is a lot more adventurous. She wants to get to know every small and mid-sized restaurant, cafe, ice cream parlor and snack bar she can, and I'm glad to go with her. Besides, at least once a week I'll pack lunch and snacks for us, and seeing just how much she likes my cooking brings me a special kind of joy._

5\. What do you like the most about each other? 

_I love her strength and determination, and that sense of authority that emanates from her cosmo. I love it that she's not afraid of making fast decisions and bearing their consequences. She's really brave._

_Shaina is also confident, outspoken, and comfortable with her own thoughts and feelings. But she told me she wasn't always like that. It seems that in the past there used to be things about her she wouldn't admit even to herself. Fortunately, she's left those days behind, and now she's proud to be who she is. She's a real inspiration to me, and one day I hope to become more like her._

_I love her voice. It's brisk and sometimes dry, and I never tire of hearing it._

_I never tire of her smiles either. It doesn't matter if they're happy, ironic or cynical; I love all of Shaina's smiles._

_As for what she likes about me, that's for her to say. A few weeks ago she praised me on being a good listener, so I suppose that counts as an example. She said, "When I talk to you, I know that you really pay attention to what I'm saying, and you make me feel as if every single word of mine is genuinely important to you." That's an accurate assessment of how I feel about her, but I don't think I deserve any praise for that. I've always assumed that listening to one's partner attentively was a natural part of being in a relationship._

6\. How does it feel like to be in love? 

_I can't explain it. Or maybe I just lack the courage to do it. I still feel ashamed of the intensity of my feelings. On the bright side, I've been braving this shame instead of letting it control me like it would have in the past. I do it for Shaina. She's worth it._

As he finished typing the last sentences, Camus felt breathless, as if he'd just exerted a significant amount of physical effort. It was his inner battle against the fear of expressing his feelings that had exhausted him though. He tried to draw more air into his lungs, and without thinking much, he reread his entry from beginning to end. 

Camus had never cringed so hard in his life. It was tough to fight that sudden urge to run away from his bedroom and never return to it. _What did I just write here?!_

He selected the text in full and stared at the big blue block on the screen, readying himself to delete the entry and pretend it had never existed. After a minute, he deselected it, saved it and closed the journaling program. And he promised himself he'd reread what he'd written periodically, until he felt less uncomfortable at facing his true emotions. 

That resolution had the power to dilute the breathlessness that had been bothering Camus for the last few minutes. It also alleviated his anxiety over the notifications he so wished to see. 

Camus did check AthenaLink out one more time. But as there were no news to be found, and he really had no way of knowing if or when Shaina would see his update, he closed the browser and turned off his computer. Then he picked an Italian book from his shelves and sat back on the armchair by the window. He had plenty of time until he'd have to start cooking dinner. He might as well spend the next couple of hours studying his girlfriend's native language. And this time he found that he could focus on his reading without much effort. 

Later that day, Camus was putting the last utensils back in the cabinet when he realized that he'd got all his tasks done a little too early. The clock on the wall between the sink and the fridge read 7:02 p. m. Shaina would only be coming in an hour, but dinner was ready, and Camus had chosen his clothes for the occasion five days earlier. 

He went back to his bedroom, and soon changed his casual clothes for elegant ones: a gray shirt, black trousers and shoes, and a brown blazer. Then he carefully combed his hair, put on some perfume, and even had the time to turn his computer on and see if by any chance Shaina had said something about the update from hours earlier. But there was nothing for him, neither from her, nor from anybody else. He'd thought that if he resisted the urge to check his notifications until he finished cooking, maybe he'd get rewarded for his patience and self-control. Now, all he could was shake his head at the silliness of his own idea. 

It still was early though. Camus would have to wait twenty five more minutes until Shaina arrived, assuming she would be punctual, which she always was. But with his luck that day, chances were he'd have to bear her absence for longer than planned. 

He had one task left to be done: setting the table in the dining room. It wouldn't be enough to fill all his free time, as he'd chosen the crockery, cutlery, glasses and linen well in advance, just like he'd done with his clothes. But it should be better than just staring hopelessly at a computer screen. Besides, he really preferred that Shaina would find an all set table upon arrival. Assuming that she would ever arrive. 

Shaking his fears away as best he could, Camus headed to the dining room. Just when he opened a drawer in the cupboard across from the door to take out the linen, his heartbeats sped up. _It's her cosmo!_

The sound of fast heels cliking against the floor on the outside hallway soon followed. Camus found that he couldn't move. He just stared at the open door, the seconds dragging in slow motion as he waited to see her. 

When Shaina entered the room, illuminating it with her bright smile, Camus felt as if he was in dream in which time had stopped. He watched in silence as she walked up to him, held him in her strong arms and pushed him closer to her. He stopped watching as she locked her lips into his though, closing his eyes and surrendering to the emotions that only her could make him experience. 

Camus eventually had to break the kiss and the tight hug to regain his breath. Shaina chuckled, then looked at the clock on the side table and said, "I know I'm early, but I couldn't wait to see you." 

In a whisper, Camus admitted, "I couldn't wait either. I'm happy that you're early." Just as he finished the latter sentence, he noticed the wrinkles on Shaina's dark blue summer jacket, a result of her having pressed her body against his while they kissed. Embarrassed, he nodded at it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, don't worry," she said casually as she smoothed her jacket. "Not your fault." 

Looking further down, Camus also noticed a white-ish spot on Shaina's black pants. It wasn't unusual for her to blemish her clothes by accident, and he'd constantly find himself pretending not to have seen a thing. This time though she followed his eyes, saw the spot and just rubbed it off with her hands in a nonchalant manner.

Camus actually loved Shaina's attitude about those trivialities. In her place, he'd have wanted to die if she'd found even a microscopic blot on the clothes he'd so carefully chosen for that special occasion. He was glad that she was nothing like him on those matters. Just to be safe though, he looked down at his own attire. 

Shaina must have followed his eyes again, because she smirked and said, "You're a hundred per cent clean and tidy, as usual. You look great." 

He gave her a bashful smile. "Thank you." He then looked at the unset table and added apologetically, "What I wish would look good though was the table. I'm sorry. I'll be setting it in a minute." He then pushed a chair against the wall and asked her to sit on it while she waited. 

"I don't have a problem with the table as it is," Shaina said, cupping Camus's face in her hands and giving him a peck in the lips. Then she let go of him, sat on the chair and reached for something in one of her jacket's pockets. Meanwhile, he returned to the drawer he'd left open. 

Just as Camus was unfolding the linen over the table, he saw that Shaina was now holding her smartphone. Again, he forgot about what he had to do, watching his girlfriend with bated breath. 

Shaina looked up at him. "Come here, Camus. There's something I want you to see." 

He promptly approached Shaina, and she got up from the chair. On her smartphone's screen, Camus saw an image that looked all too familiar to him: the relationship status update page at AthenaLink. He watched it as she chose the same option as he had earlier that day, picked his name and attached it to her profile. Then, she went to her notification page, starred his status update and left a comment that consisted in a string of hearts. 

Putting the smartphone back in her pocket, Shaina wrapped her arms around Camus again. "I loved what you did. It was a huge surprise. Huge and adorable. Of course I wanted to do the same as soon as I saw your update, but I decided to keep quiet all day and wait to only do it when you could see it live. Let me tell you, it was tough! All I wanted was to come here and hug you and kiss you and..."

Shaina finished her sentence by illustrating her words with actions. She tightened the hug and kissed her boyfriend again, while brushing the tips of her long nails against the back of his neck. That gave Camus goosebumps. His mind and heart floated in a mix of relief, joy and a soothing sense of belonging to the right person. 

This time, it was Shaina who broke the contact between them, but clearly just for practical reasons. "Okay, I'm getting hungry. You can set the table now. I'll behave. Not for very long, but I will." 

"You, behaving? I'd better act fast then. Such rare opportunities are not to be missed," Camus said in jest, and promptly did as Shaina told him to. She stepped back to return to the chair, and they proceeded to ask each other about their day.

As Camus laid the napkins on place, nearing the conclusion of his table setting task, Shaina finished describing her afternoon training session to him. He hoped that would be a good moment to raise two topics that had him concerned. 

Employing terms of endearment was the sort of thing Camus still felt shy about, but he did it anyway. "Uh... Love, I was wondering... if there's anything I can do so that your friend Geist will view our relationship in a better light." 

Shaina shrugged. "I talked with her this afternoon, and it didn't go as bad as you'd think based on that comment. She'll get used to it. Let's give her some time."

After a slow nod and a brief pause, Camus got into the second topic that worried him. "Uh, I also need to ask... What are we going to do about Aiolia's request?"

"Ah, yes, that." Shaina chortled, not looking worried at all. "I saw that he sent you the same questions he did to me." She got up to approach Camus. "Let me guess it: you abhor that couple profile idea of his, don't you?" 

He nodded emphatically. "I see that you know me very well."

She ran her index finger over his cheek, moving it down until it touched his lips. "Not nearly as well as I really want to. But with more time, we'll get there." 

He struggled to ignore the burning sensation on his cheeks. As he spoke, his lips brushed softly against her finger. "I'd like to know what you think about his idea." 

Now placing her hand on his shoulder, Shaina rubbed him gently. "I kind of enjoy reading those couple profiles that he writes, but I'm not sure about switching from reader to subject. Especially when I know how awful you'd feel over it." 

Camus shook his head. "Please, don't mind me. If you want to do it, then we can give it a try." 

"No. Not yet. Look, Camus, I really appreciate your willingness to please me. And I'm the first to admit that sometimes it's tough not to take advantage of it. But you're very good to me, and that's precisely why I want to be good to you too." Shaina embraced him, running her right hand slowly through his hair as she gazed at him. "Here's what we're going to do: I'll tell Aiolia that we won't be doing a couple profile, but that we can give him a few superficial quotes very loosely based on his questions. Nothing that exposes us too much. And then he can write a short filler about us, but we won't be posing for photos either. He'll have to use individual shots from the magazine's archives. What do you think?" 

Looking at her beloved face, Camus hugged her back and smiled. "That's perfect. Just like you." 

"You spoil me too much," Shaina said with a chuckle, which she soon muffled as she kissed Camus once again. 

In doing so, Shaina also muffled the string of additional adoring compliments that Camus was all ready to lavish on her. But he could wait a couple of minutes before expressing his feelings with his timid words. For now, he was happy to follow her lead as she encouraged him to express his affection with loving gestures.


End file.
